Environmental, Planning and Flood Reports

Whatever reports you require, you will find it with HW Conveyancing Searches. With reports from both Groundsure and Landmark, as well as newcomers DevAssist and Terrafirma – you can choose whichever reports best suit your needs.

Environmental reports

Many homes have been or are being built on old industrial or manufacturing sites. Environmental searches are designed to reveal any previous uses of the land that the property has been, or is being built on that may result in such problems as contaminated land. These reports will show whether the property is free of risk or what risks there actually are. They can help home buyers avoid lengthy litigation or difficulty in re-selling their property should contamination be discovered post purchase.

Planning reports

You can choose from a variety of planning searches from our price list, some more detailed than others. These reports, depending on the one that you choose, show up more planning than is revealed in the CON29 planning report. They are designed to cast the net further afield by looking at planning in a defined area, i.e. all planning applications in a 250m radius from the property. They are designed to show up for the purchaser such things as whether a supermarket has planning permission to build a superstore nearby; or a neighbour has planning for a large extension, etc. It could also indicate what planning has been granted in the area should the buyer want to build an extension or put up a conservatory for example.

Flood reports

Problems incurred with properties being affected by flooding have certainly hit the headlines in recent winters with large numbers of homes in the UK having been affected. This can affect the home buyer in a variety of ways, including the insurability of the property, if it is in a flood risk area. So by choosing to undertake a flood report during the conveyancing process you will be aware of this before the purchase has been made. The most common types are:

Surface water flooding

Sewer flooding

Groundwater flooding

River flooding

Coastal flooding

It is not always evident whether a property is susceptible to flooding as it does not have to be near the coast or a river, but could be in a city centre and be at risk of surface water flooding.